Call Me Old Fashioned, But…

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So I was mooching through the paper this morning when I saw yet another article about the way in which using BMI as a tool for measuring whether or not someone is at a healthy weight is losing popularity. To be honest I’ve never paid much heed to those numbers anyway – mine’s off the scale, so I’m not going to get hung up on the fact that whatever number it lands on tells me I’m fat…that’s hardly breaking news is it?

I mean, I have mirrors in my house, right? That’s all the proof I need isn’t it? I look in it, I can’t help noticing that I’m fat, job done. I certainly don’t need a boffin in a white coat and an algorithm to confirm it. For people who don’t have a mirror there are a host of other ways to confirm it. Such as.

If you can’t fit behind the wheel of your car and you’re not pregnant, you’re fat. If you can’t fasten the safety harness on a roller coaster, you’re fat (and you might want to think about getting off…just sayin’). If you walk into a clothes shop and walk out with a new scarf because it’s the only thing in their two thousand square feet that fits you, you’re fat. And If you book a camel-riding excursion on holiday in Tunisia and they have to weight the second passenger down with sandbags so you don’t end up underneath the camel, you’re fat.

There are enough clues, right? I’ve personally tested all of the above and confirm that they’re fairly accurate. I could provide more clues to look out for, if you’re still unsure. Thing is though, if you’re fat, you know you’re fat. You don’t need a number to  drive the point home.

And (oh God she’s off, up on the soapbox now) I think lots of fat kids could be shielded from unnecessary daggers to the heart if the powers that be took a pragmatic approach to childhood obesity in schools…I’ve seen more than one story in the newspapers where little Johnny’s mum has received a letter home basically saying your child is fat.

The story is usually illustrated by a photo of both little Johnny and his mum  looking sadly at the offending letter. And presumably, in order to confirm the diagnosis of fat, little Johnny has had to queue up in the way we used to have to queue up for the nit nurse, and get weighed. Which if you are bigger than the average bear would be traumatic in itself, right? The letter home calling you out as fat would just about finish you off.

I was a fat child. If you read my earliest posts, you’ll remember the way my teacher compared my weight to that of an adult pig, and forty five years later I can still taste the humiliation. I hate that there might be kids out there now feeling hurt and humiliated because somebody with a clipboard has decided their BMI says they are fat. Some of the little Johnny’s I’ve seen in the paper didn’t look fat to me, and labelling them as such could do way more harm than good.

So, if the trend is moving away from giving too much credence to BMI, I for one don’t think it’s a bad thing. Your eyes will give you all the info you need…just my humble opinion 🙂

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13 thoughts on “Call Me Old Fashioned, But…

  1. Calling children names is not effective, any more than with grown-ups. Encourage healthy eating habits and lots of movement, i think that’s more effective.

    My Little Girl went through a phase where she was a bit heavier than average, but outgrew it as she got taller and found out she loves swim team.

    1. My boy was the same Mimi…he’d grow out and get a little bit chunky, and then have a growth spurt upwards and go lean again. I accept there are children who have proper weight problems but dealing with them insensitively will set them up for a lifetime of weight issues, I guarantee it.

  2. Interestingly, the child protection module this year was based on an obesity case study, which makes me think that schools may be having a little more to do with this area. I had the weigh in front of the class experience too! Horrific! But, education about healthy eating is so important for young minds.

  3. So would you argue that a child’s weight is none of the school’s business, or just that they handle it badly?

    Here in Australia the schools don’t weigh kids or comment on weight, but on the other hand we don’t have school lunches either (sometimes there is canteen you can buy food from, but most people bring lunch from home). From the documentaries about US and UK school lunches, I would say that if the school wants to get involved in students’ weight they should do it by feeding them healthier food.

    Some people might argue that feeding your kids junk food five times a day is tantamount to child abuse, giving them health and social problems for life, and that someone needs to do something… if the parents don’t then that leaves governments/schools.

    I don’t know what the answer is btw. Not fat shaming, obviously, that doesn’t work.

    1. I wouldn’t say it’s none of the school’s business, no. But lining kids up to get weighed is barbaric, in my opinion. You can look at a child and know whether a quiet word to the parent and maybe some parental education or support might help, but done in such a way that the child is protected from being shamed or called out as different. A child’s self esteem is so precious, and cutting it down at a young age can affect the way they live their whole life. I know 🙁

  4. BMI is so badly outdated and really peeves me. Prior to my son, I did a lot of powerlifting, and I was considered overweight at one point, when I absolutely was not. The most accurate thing to use is skinfold calipers and a dose of common sense. My son is apparently ‘fat’ for his age and height, and yet, he couldn’t be further from that if he tried. I am sorry to hear of the shit you’ve had in the past. People can be so cruel.

      1. He’s only 3! That’s what makes me sad. He was 9lb 5oz at birth and continued on the 99th percentile. He’s solid but no means fat. Just more to add to the list of things to shame him about. If it’s not his hair (long, shoulder length) then it’s weight or something else. What a way to mentally scar a small child and instill bad body images 🙁

          1. Absolutely. I opted out of HV being involved since they spewed lots of shite. When I attend my clinic appts in hospital, they weigh me in private, and that itself is bad enough for my self esteem. I couldn’t imagine being weighed in school, infront of everyone. Soul destroying.

  5. LOL, that feels so good! A comic named Foxworthy has a running gag about “You know you’re a redneck if….”

    Well, i SO don’t know how you’re supposed to safeguard a child against “obesity.” Just care, & worry like hell. Turning self-righteous crusaders loose on school kids has got to be the LEAST effective procedure available.

    Yrs, Fleury

    1. OMG Jeff Foxworthy, I remember him – I once stayed in a cabin just outside Gatlinberg and he and Bill Engeval and Larry the Cable guy were on the tv one night, I laughed till I cried!!

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